ICAP Series on Alcohol in Society – serie

Reasonable Risk examines the concept of risk as it applies to everyday life in general and to alcohol consumption specifically. The book addresses how we assess risks (and benefits), and the strategies we use to manage them. It examines the elements that shape our perceptions of risk-cultural influences, social factors, and how we are presented with information about risk. The final chapter of the book focuses on the role of risk in policy formulation, examining in particular how alcohol policies are developed within the context of individual and societal responsibility.

Increased scrutiny on the part of the general public, media, and government has warranted a reexamination of corporate responsibilities, standards of accountability, the company's role in its local and extended community, and its ethical position in our society and culture.Corporate Social Responsibility and Alcohol considers the basic values, ethics, policies and practices of a company's business. Particular attention will be paid to the alcohol beverage industry, and the many unique issues that are specific to this business, such as: responsible marketing, promotional, and advertising campaigns and strategies; the particular risks inherent in any alcoholic product; issues of abuse prevention & education; research; and legal and ethical aspects of alcohol.This will be the seventh volume in the ICAP Series on Alcohol in Society.

There is evidence that a distinct pattern of alcohol consumption is emerging across the world and is a cause for concern because of its relationship with a range of health and social problems. Its visibility, particularly its high involvement of young people, makes this not only an issue for public safety and order in many countries, but also a highly contentious and politicized subject. This book examines the rapid and heavy drinking behavior by young people, described in a number of countries, positioning it within its appropriate social, historical and cultural contexts. The book argues in favor of a new term, “extreme drinking,” to fully encapsulate the many facets of this behavior, taking into account the underlying motivations for the heavy, excessive and unrestrained drinking patterns of many young people. It also acknowledges the drinking process itself and accommodates greater focus on outcomes that are likely to follow. In many ways, “extreme drinking” is not so far removed from other “extreme” behaviors, such as extreme sports – all offer a challenge, their pursuit is motivated by an expectation of pleasure, and they are, by design, not without risk to those who engage in them, others around them and society as a whole. Edited by Marjana Martinic and Fiona Measham, Swimming with Crocodiles is the ninth volume in the ICAP Book Series on Alcohol in Society. The authors discuss the factors that motivate extreme drinking, address the developmental, cultural and historical contexts that have surrounded it, and offer a new approach to addressing this behavior through prevention and policy. The centerpiece of the book is a series of focus groups conducted with young people in Brazil, China, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, which examine their views on extreme drinking, motivations behind it and the cultural similarities and differences that exist, conferring at once risk and protective factors.

The goal of this book is to contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the very serious topic of drunkenness. The phrase “four hundred rabbits” is one of many illustrations of the deep cultural, religious, and social influences on how individuals and communities view alcohol intoxication: The Aztecs believed alcohol to have a divine origin, with a god and goddess giving birth to 400 (meaning “innumerable” in ancient Aztec) divine children or “rabbit gods,” each representing a varying degree and expression of alcohol intoxication and drunkenness. Hence the book’s subtitle, which at first glance might seem light-hearted but in fact represents an in-depth look at a weighty topic. With such rooted sociocultural factors in mind, the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) and DrinkWise Australia collaborated to prepare a publication that advances current understanding of the individual and collective meanings, purposes, and functions of drunkenness. As the authors explain, interpretations by different disciplines of the terms intoxication and drunkenness are often inconsistent. The chapters of this book discuss intoxication and drunkenness from three perspectives: biological, cultural, and social. By placing intoxication and drunkenness into these contexts, the book is able to offer language and conceptual tools to help advance the ongoing discussion on how best to reduce alcohol-related harm and encourage responsible enjoyment of beverage alcohol. Readers in need of an in-depth understanding of the varied dimensions of extreme drunkenness will add this excellent resource to their personal library.

Divided into two parts, Alcohol and Emerging Markets begins with a series of case studies that assess alcohol issues in four regions - Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa - and four countries - China, India, Mexico, and Russia. Issues such as past and current public policy developments, prevention programs, and treatment of alcohol related disorders are addressed as well as the health consequences of alcohol use and abuse. In the second part, the contributors consider the issues relevant to the entire geographical region covered by the book. The book also includes a chapter that examines the role of the industry in emerging markets and suggests a set of guidelines that address alcohol misuse issues.

There is no simple threshold between the experience of drinking and the pleasure it can bring on the one hand and the pain and suffering caused by alcohol abuse on the other. But if we are to understand the role of alcohol in society, then at the very least we need to acknowledge the pleasure as well as the pain. Alcohol and Pleasure aims to bring together existing knowledge on the role of pleasure in drinking and determine whether the concept is useful for scientific understanding and policy consideration.

The main purpose of this book is to describe the variety of drinking occasions that exist around the world, primarily in modern, industrialized countries. As such, it celebrates the diversity of normal drinking behavior and illustrates a wide range of beneficial drinking patterns. Attention is also paid to the relations between drink and culture that prevail in non-Western societies and in developing countries. The aims of the book are twofold: to deal directly with the challenge of how to define responsible drinking in the face of the world's many different drinking styles, and to portray the many ways in which people have thought about or used alcohol as an integral part of their culture

Reasonable Risk examines the concept of risk as it applies to everyday life in general and to alcohol consumption specifically. The book addresses how we assess risks (and benefits), and the strategies we use to manage them. It examines the elements that shape our perceptions of risk-cultural influences, social factors, and how we are presented with information about risk. The final chapter of the book focuses on the role of risk in policy formulation, examining in particular how alcohol policies are developed within the context of individual and societal responsibility.

Increased scrutiny on the part of the general public, media, and government has warranted a reexamination of corporate responsibilities, standards of accountability, the company's role in its local and extended community, and its ethical position in our society and culture.Corporate Social Responsibility and Alcohol considers the basic values, ethics, policies and practices of a company's business. Particular attention will be paid to the alcohol beverage industry, and the many unique issues that are specific to this business, such as: responsible marketing, promotional, and advertising campaigns and strategies; the particular risks inherent in any alcoholic product; issues of abuse prevention & education; research; and legal and ethical aspects of alcohol.This will be the seventh volume in the ICAP Series on Alcohol in Society.

This text reports on patterns of consumption of non-branded alcohol in seven countries: Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Using local consultants, investigators interviewed families in each country, in both rural and urban areas, on the subject of their drinking habits over a thirty-day period giving specific attention to their religious, educational and socio-economic status. Experts in the fields of toxicology, economics, and anthropology as well as representatives of the beverage industry give commentary on the common themes emerging from the collected data.

There is evidence that a distinct pattern of alcohol consumption is emerging across the world and is a cause for concern because of its relationship with a range of health and social problems. Its visibility, particularly its high involvement of young people, makes this not only an issue for public safety and order in many countries, but also a highly contentious and politicized subject. This book examines the rapid and heavy drinking behavior by young people, described in a number of countries, positioning it within its appropriate social, historical and cultural contexts. The book argues in favor of a new term, “extreme drinking,” to fully encapsulate the many facets of this behavior, taking into account the underlying motivations for the heavy, excessive and unrestrained drinking patterns of many young people. It also acknowledges the drinking process itself and accommodates greater focus on outcomes that are likely to follow. In many ways, “extreme drinking” is not so far removed from other “extreme” behaviors, such as extreme sports – all offer a challenge, their pursuit is motivated by an expectation of pleasure, and they are, by design, not without risk to those who engage in them, others around them and society as a whole. Edited by Marjana Martinic and Fiona Measham, Swimming with Crocodiles is the ninth volume in the ICAP Book Series on Alcohol in Society. The authors discuss the factors that motivate extreme drinking, address the developmental, cultural and historical contexts that have surrounded it, and offer a new approach to addressing this behavior through prevention and policy. The centerpiece of the book is a series of focus groups conducted with young people in Brazil, China, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, which examine their views on extreme drinking, motivations behind it and the cultural similarities and differences that exist, conferring at once risk and protective factors.

There is no simple threshold between the experience of drinking and the pleasure it can bring on the one hand and the pain and suffering caused by alcohol abuse on the other. But if we are to understand the role of alcohol in society, then at the very least we need to acknowledge the pleasure as well as the pain. Alcohol and Pleasure aims to bring together existing knowledge on the role of pleasure in drinking and determine whether the concept is useful for scientific understanding and policy consideration.